Silent Killer
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- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
There are still a billion hungry people in the world. Fifteen thousand children -- the equivalent of five times the victims of the World Trade Center bombings -- die each day of hunger. Yet it doesn't have to be this way. We can end hunger -- if we make a commitment to doing so. SILENT KILLER shows how it can be done.
Hosted by National Public Radio's Scott Simon, the film begins in South Africa's Kalahari Desert, where razor-thin Bushmen use the Hoodia cactus to fend off hunger. But now, a drug firm has patented the Hoodia's appetite-suppressant properties and is using it to make a diet product for obese Americans and Europeans. Hoodia is a metaphor for a world where some people die from too much food, but millions more die from too little.
We discover how serious the problem is in Kenya as we meet Jane Ininda, a scientist who is trying to make agriculture more productive in her country, while her own brother, Salesio, barely survives the drought, poor soils and pests that constantly threaten his crops. Through powerful stories, we come to understand the dimensions of the hunger crisis.
At the World Food Summit in Rome, we learn how activists have been working to end hunger since President John Kennedy declared war on it in 1963. But today, America's commitment to food security is less clear. In fact, world financial commitments to hunger research have been declining in recent years.
But SILENT KILLER does not leave viewers feeling helpless. A visit to Brazil finds a nation energized by a new campaign called FOME ZERO -- Zero Hunger. In the huge city of Belo Horizonte, we meet a remarkable leader and see how, under the programs she supervises, the right to food is guaranteed to all. In the countryside, we are introduced to the Landless Peasants' Movement, which is giving hope to millions of hungry Brazilians.
'SILENT KILLER is an important contribution in the movement to build the political and spiritual will to end hunger...[It] is a crucial tool in our work to educate the public about this tragedy that takes the lives of about 25,000 people every single day.' Tony Hall, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, former Member of Congress
'SILENT KILLER is more than a beautiful film with powerful visual images and stories. It is a sonic boom that breaks the silence about a nightmare, with racism the terrible subtext, which the world's policymakers--and all of us--have ignored for far too long. I was truly moved.' Haskell Wexler, Academy Award-winning cinematographer
'FAO has long argued that hunger was beatable if the political will was there to take up the fight. SILENT KILLER: THE UNFINISHED CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUNGER is a very successful portrayal of many of the root causes of hunger, and promotes solid proposals to regain ground in the war against hunger.' Charles H. Riemenschneider, Director, Liaison Office for North America, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
'A brilliant new film...about the neglected issue of world hunger. Jindrova and DeGraaf skillfully weave together compelling stories, vivid characters, stunning photography and memorable narration to produce a tour de force which wakes up the viewer to the importance of world hunger and what must be done about it.' Chris Palmer, Director, Center for Environmental Filmmaking, American University
'Being a travel writer, you see a lot of the world. I've seen lots of riches and happiness but sadly, I have also seen that hunger and starvation are still far too prevalent. It is amazing to learn that as many people die each week from hunger as died in the recent tsunami. It gets no headlines and it is entirely avoidable, costing less to overcome than what our society invests in professional sports, cosmetics or even caffeine. SILENT KILLER: THE UNFINISHED CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUNGER shows how we can work with the rest of the world to actually put an end to hunger.' Rick Steves, best-selling travel writer and PBS travel program host
'It's almost as if hunger has become accepted, a fact of life--much of the indignation (and hard work) of years past has vanished. This film should do much to end that sad state of affairs and return this great shame to the center of our consciousness.' Bill McKibben, author and environmentalist
'SILENT KILLER is much more than a new recitation of the daily tsunami of children - who starve, not through lack of food in the world, but because of lack of will to do things differently. It tells success stories where small seeds of change - an agronomist's work, a little grant, community organizing - are growing. Moreover, it shows us a whole country, Brazil, which has mobilized to end hunger. Seeing what they are doing, you'll think, 'This makes sense. We can do this.'' Vicki Robin, best-selling author and activist
'Some books get placed on a 'required reading' list. SILENT KILLER should be 'required viewing.' It has the potential to re-energize dormant popular support for access to food as a basic human right. Religious communities will find the program both challenging and heartening--challenging because it offers a sobering reminder of the chasm between those who struggle with overeating and those who never have enough; heartening because creative and successful programs in self-reliant farming are being developed. If adequately funded, these programs could lead whole populations out of the hunger pit.' Rev. Dr. Diane Kessler, Executive Director, Massachusetts Council of Churches
'SILENT KILLER is a lush film filled with poignant images, and sheds light on small solutions offering big promise. Young women farmers in Africa are an inspiration, displaying an intelligence and determination rarely depicted in western media. The killer may be silent, but the message is loud and clear.' Jack Hamann, Former CNN correspondent and author
'Teachers will love using [Silent Killer] in their classroom. I can't think of another film that paints such a poignant and balanced portrayal of hunger--one of the most pressing global issues facing humanity today--while offering real solutions and stories of hope. Brazil's Fome Zero program serves as an especially powerful example of real solutions in action, something that teachers are always looking for to help inspire and empower their students.' Gilda Wheeler, Program Director, Facing the Future: People and the Planet
'[Silent Killer] is a superb essay on hunger and its cures. Eye-arresting visuals, irrefutable logic in its arguments, non-patronizing in tone, and a cool but relentless attention to the facts. Here are movingly dedicated people who each tell their story or put their case in a way that only a stone could ignore.' Michael Rabiger, author of Directing the Documentary
'Of professional quality production, Silent Killer is Highly Recommended.' Ernarosa Tominich, Trocaire College Library, Educational Media Reviews
Citation
Main credits
Jindrova, Hana (Producer)
De Graaf, John (Producer)
De Graaf, John (Screenwriter)
Simon, Scott (Narrator)
Other credits
Music, Michael Bade; photography, editing, Diana Wilmar, David Fox.
Distributor subjects
African Studies; Anthropology; Biotechnology; Business Practices; Developing World; Economics; Environment; Ethics; Food And Nutrition; Geography; Global Issues; Health; Human Rights; Humanities; Hunger; International Studies; Population; Poverty; Science, Technology, Society; Social Justice; SociologyKeywords
WEBVTT
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Funding for this program was provided
by the Rockefeller Foundation.
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Fostering innovation for the well-being
of people throughout the world.
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[music]
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We have a silent killer
and it’s called hunger.
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[music]
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World hunger
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is the Holocaust of our time. It is just absolutely
a scandal that there are so many hungry people
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in our world. For people to die
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of hunger is… is just a abominable, it’s wrong.
Everybody needs to focus their attention
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on how to solve this problem. It is the
oldest of problems and the most persistent.
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Even now, millions of human
beings die each year
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for lack of food. It doesn’t
have to be that way.
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In little ways in big, we are learning
what it takes to feed everyone.
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What’s missing is the commitment to do it.
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Hunger is a perpetual state until you give
people to means to take care of themselves.
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It’s very simple.
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[music]
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South Africa’s Kalahari Desert
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where rain is a stranger and
100º is an ordinary occasion.
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The Kalahari transfrontier Park
animals stayed close to meager
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and tenuous sources of moisture.
Wildebeests,
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Springboks, Hems box.
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This is the ancestral home
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of the Kimani Sandeep, more
commonly known as Bushmen.
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For Millennia, the Bushmen
have been hunter-gatherers
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passing on age-old tracking skills.
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Vet Piet Kleinman can tell
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from prints in the sand precisely when
an animal passed by and where it went.
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As a boy, he walked the desert with
his grandfather in search of game.
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There were times when the
animals migrated far away.
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And we had to go very far into the
backcountry to find something.
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They might have been overcome
by hunger and thirst,
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but for a remarkable cactus like plant.
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As far back as I can remember,
it’s been part of our tradition.
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It’s very healthy to use the hoodia.
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His people have always understood this special
traits of the hoodia like other succulents.
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It stores water in its prickly arms.
But, the Kimani
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also know that chewing the bitter
hoodia takes away the pangs of hunger.
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Just a small bite can kill
your appetite for a day.
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Now, the little-known hoodia
is on the verge of fame.
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Its appetite suppressant
properties have been patented.
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Phytopharm, a British drug firm is
now developing hoodia plantations.
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The company plans to mass-market a
diet product containing hoodia.
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[music]
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Decades ago the Khomani
San were forcibly removed
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from their homes in the Transfrontier Park.
Separated from the game animals,
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they once hunted. They now live in
this poverty-stricken settlement
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of decaying European-style houses and
traditional straw homes. It’s a hard life
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with constant threats hunger,
unemployment, alcoholism, AIDS,
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even scorpions and snakes
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like this small, but
deadly Sidewinder Adder.
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The Bushman is like a jackal,
he has nothing to eat.
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He has to depend on what
is left over for him.
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I don’t wanna live like, I’m millionaire.
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I wanna live in our natural way like that
weaverbird there. When his nest falls down
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or is burnt out by lightning, it’s
easy for him to collect grass
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and rebuild his nest.
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[music]
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The irony is enormous. Indigenous
knowledge used by razor-thin Bushmen
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to fend off hunger when they have nothing to
eat will be sold to keep for these Americans
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and Europeans from eating too much.
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When the diet product derived from hoodia enters
the market, it will serve as a powerful metaphor
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for a divided world. A world where
some die from too much food
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and millions more from too little.
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Time and again, we’ve seen the terrible
pictures. Famine and massive loss of life,
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hunger turned suddenly to
starvation by severe weather,
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wars or political crises.
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This is the hunger we usually hear about. The deaths
that timely shipments of grain can help avert.
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But, most of the world’s hunger
is different, chronic, invisible,
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quietly sapping energy
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and lives without notice.
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[music]
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Kenya, East Africa,
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a land of stunning beauties
strapping the equator.
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Carpets of tea in the tropical Sun,
open-air markets bursting with food.
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[non-English narration]
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Jani Ninda knows the beauty
here is only skin-deep.
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Dr. Jani Ninda is a maize breeder,
working to increase production
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of Kenya’s most important staple. She believes
the lives of her people can be transformed
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by developing hardier and
more productive crops.
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Little in Jani Ninda’s background
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would have predicted her
career as a scientist.
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[non-English narration]
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Born to a poor family, Jani attended primary
school here in the small hamlet of Kangeta
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about two hours north of Nairobi. In
those days, few children went to school.
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Jane’s parents like most rural Kenyans
were never formally educated.
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This is the house where Jane grew up.
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Her whole family slept in a single room.
Though nearly destitute
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Jani’s parents sacrificed food and shoes to
save money, so she could continue in school.
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Eventually, Jane was able to attend college
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in the United States. She could have stayed
there and found a job with excellent
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paying benefits, but she could not
forget this suffering in her homeland.
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So after earning her doctorate, Jani returned
to Kenya to help in the fight against hunger.
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[sil.]
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[music]
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It’s always a special occasion when Jani
visits her family home on a dry Plateau,
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South of Mount Kenya.
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[music]
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Today there is enough of the
filling cornmeal porridge,
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Kenyans call, Ugali.
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Jani’s brother’s, Toolazy
Omoogo and his family
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still raise beans and maize, or corn as
we call it on part of the family farm
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along with more drought tolerant
crops like, militant cowpeas.
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That’s important because
for much of the year
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there is no water here. Now
though the family still find some
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in a well, only a few hundred
yards from Toolazy Omoogo’s home.
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They cannot drink this water
without boiling it. And soon,
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the well will be dry. Then they must
travel several miles by (inaudible)
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to the only river in the area.
Often Salacious crops wither
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for lack of rain.
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Then there are the pests and diseases that attack the maize.
The most destructive is an insect called a Stem borer.
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Sometimes, Kenyan farmers
have lost their entire crop
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to such pests. Jani Ninda walks
through her brother’s fields
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looking for disease in his corn.
It isn’t hard to find.
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The disease called maze streak virus
is one of many that can greatly reduce
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Toolazy Omoogo’s yield. And even if the crop does
survive, farmers must be constantly vigilant
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to protect it from being eaten by animals.
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Jane’s father slept in his fields to
guard them. When there are no crops,
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Jane’s brother must try to find
work here in the town of Embu,
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hours away by bicycle. Often,
he returns empty-handed.
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Each year his family experiences
times without food.
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Then it is hard for Toolazy and his
children to find energy for work or school,
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so they remain mired in poverty.
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It’s a vicious cycle, but a very common
one throughout the developing world.
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There are around numbers of a billion
people, roughly a sixth of the world
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that by any standard, any major or poor
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and undernourished.
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The global statistics don’t
quite capture the human drama
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that… that goes on… in these areas.
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One really have to walk on the countryside
I think to appreciate what’s going on.
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[music]
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Every third preschool
child is malnourished.
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She does not go to her full potential.
She… if she survives, she will grow up
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to be a stunted individual.
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Hunger is the single biggest cause
of health problems in the world.
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Children who don’t get enough iodine,
suffer brain damage, that’s irreversible.
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Children who don’t get enough vitamin
A go blind, again it’s irreversible.
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They are very vulnerable disease.
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So they may be sickly, they’re likely
to have parasites in their stomach.
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So it means that even when they do eat food,
the food doesn’t really nourish them properly.
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And as a consequence, they’re poor
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for the rest of their lives. They can’t construct
school, they don’t have the energy to work hard,
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and you’ve essentially condemned them to a life
in which they can’t ever really make ends meet.
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If they survive at all, in
fact, six million children
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die each year from hunger, and hunger related
diseases. Every time you take a breath,
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a child is dying in a poor country.
By this time tomorrow,
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15,000 more hungry children
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will have died. Imagine a list
of victims five times as long
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as that left by the World
Trade Center attacks,
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every single day. A 100 years from now people are
gonna be wondering, how did we stand by and let this
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go on day after day?
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[non-English narration]
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June, 2002,
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thousands of protesters marched past
the majestic monuments of Rome.
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[sil.]
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Representing farmers
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from poor countries and sympathetic organizations
from rich ones, they demand action
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against hunger. They hope
to influence delegates
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to the World Food Summit hosted by FAO, the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
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FAO leaders say, \"They want
to cut world hunger in half
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by 2015.\" When agriculture
comes up in the discussions
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of… of the rich countries, it’s usually in the
context of, what are we gonna do with the surpluses?
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Not how are we gonna alleviate food
security in… in poor countries.
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It is not a high priority for policy makers
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in developing or industrialized countries
because their children are not hungry,
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their children do not starve.
Still FAO delegates voted
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nearly unanimously to establish a legal
right to food for all the world’s people.
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Only the United States opposed the
resolution on the grounds that feeding
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everyone should be a goal of
governments, but not a legal obligation.
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The United States is the
least generous nation.
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When our development assistance is
measured against our national income,
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umm… that really is a scandal, and
it’s contrary to American values.
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For the first time in the
history of the world,
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we do know how to produce enough
food now to feed every man,
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woman, and child in the world enough
to eliminate all hunger completely.
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In 1963, President Kennedy
called for a world commitment
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to end hunger. This means
that agricultural department,
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and ministry, and government, and citizens
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must make a greater and more systematic
effort to share this knowledge.
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For the first time to know how to conquer the
problem and not conquer it would be a disgrace
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for this generation.
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It was a time when many scientists were warning
that within a decade, world population growth
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would overwhelm food supplies.
Virtually everybody predicted,
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mass starvation and death in Asia.
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They hadn’t counted on the Green Revolution, an
emergency program to increase food production
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in poor countries. The Green
Revolution uh… was the most effective
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and most successful development
effort the world has ever seen.
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[music] Welcome to CIMMYT, the International Corn
and wheat Improvement Center near Mexico City.
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It’s one of about a dozen
crop breeding centers
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located in developing countries around
the world. Nearly 40 years ago,
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scientists at these Green Revolution centers
began developing higher yielding grains
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and providing them freely to farmers around
the world. They also encourage farmers
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to use more fertilizers and farm chemicals.
In many countries,
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food production more than doubled.
The predicted famines were averted
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largely because of the Green Revolution.
It has fed millions
00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:04.999
and millions of Asians of
Latin Americans and some,
00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.999
but not as many Africans.
It was a tremendous success
00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.999
and yes there were problems associated
with the Green Revolution. Many countries
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.999
use too much pesticides and… it had
negative health effects on people.
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.999
Too much water was being used
in certain parts of Asia
00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:29.999
causing water logging and salination
resulting in decreased productivity
00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.999
of the land in Asia. So there
were negative outcomes as well.
00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.999
And there were other drawbacks.
Only a few important crops
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:44.999
especially wheat, rice,
and maize were improved.
00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.999
And the revolution almost completely bypassed
Africa where crop yields are still about equal
00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:54.999
to those of farmers during the
Roman Empire. Hunger in Africa
00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:59.999
is even more prevalent now
than it was decades ago.
00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:04.999
Scientists at the International Agricultural Research
Center’s acknowledge the green revolutions limitations
00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:09.999
and are trying to correct them.
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.999
For example, a lot of the work that we do here is into
provide umm… resistance in the varieties that we produce.
00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.999
Therefore, require less pesticides.
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.999
Another very interesting part of the… the work that we’re doing
particularly in Africa is to develop varieties that are drought tolerant
00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
and that work well under low
fertilizer, low nitrogen conditions.
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.999
Nobody would deny that yield
and productivity is important,
00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.999
but it’s a much more broader
understanding of what productivity is.
00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.999
Though such work is more expensive and
complicated, international support
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:49.999
for the Centers has been
declining steadily. The budget
00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.999
of CIMMYT for one year is roughly
what uh… jet-fighter will cost.
00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.999
And what do you get out of it?
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.999
You get a lot of different varieties
of maize and wheat that work not only
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
let’s say in Mexico, in many places, in
areas where there’s a lot of poverty,
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
a lot of hunger, where there’s AIDS,
where people are really having,
00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
a really rough life. Many of the improved crop
varieties that have resulted breeding methods
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
that scientists have been using
for decades. Now, such work
00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
is assisted by advances in biotechnology.
And what we’ll do is
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
we will take these sequences and compare them to online
databases of sequences over thousand different bacteria
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
that are already there… In CIMMYT laboratories
scientists gain a deeper understanding
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
of the molecular structure of plants, and
the pests, and diseases that attack them.
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.999
One aspect of biotechnology
is genetic engineering
00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.999
which CIMMYT uses to produce
insect resistant maize.
00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:59.999
Many scientists believe the nutritional
value of food crops may soon be enhanced by
00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:04.999
genetically introducing vitamins
or higher protein content.
00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:09.999
But for now, most genetic engineering research
is directed toward improving resistance
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:14.999
to plant pests and diseases.
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:19.999
In a field in central Kenya,
farmers harvest sweet potatoes,
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
a popular staple. Soil quality
and moisture are good here.
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.999
But, many of these sweet potatoes are much smaller
than they should be. Their poor growth is the result
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:38.000
of a destructive virus. Florence Wambugu
is Africa’s best-known advocate
00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
of biotechnology. Dr. Wambugu
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
was developing sweet potatoes that are
genetically modified to resist viruses, reducing
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
the need for pesticides and other agricultural
chemicals. She thinks that makes sense
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:08.000
for poor African farmers.
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:25.000
Dr. Wambugu was convinced that other applications
of genetic engineering are even more compelling.
00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.999
This particular bug was infested
with… with pests and… and…
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
An estimated 40% of Africa’s maize is destroyed by storage
pests. If we come up with… with a biotechnology solution
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.999
so that doesn’t have to happen, then you would
have so much more harvest that’s saved.
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:54.999
But so far, despite high expectations,
biotechnology has largely
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.999
by passed the war. One reason is cost.
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.999
Genetic engineering is an expensive
science and patenting of genes
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
and techniques has made it more so. Such patents make
it increasingly difficult for public researchers
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
to do plant breeding including
conventional breeding without infringing
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.999
on intellectual property rights
owned by large corporations.
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.999
Everyone who’s doing research in this area
has to be aware of intellectual property
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.999
because it’s a real issue for everyone now.
I had umm… a scientist come to me
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.999
and he asked me to uh… do a search of the
patent literature to determine whether
00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.999
uh… there were patents in an
area that might possibly uh…
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:44.999
block his ability to do research in an area. But
he, and the way he introduced it to me was really
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.999
uh… caught my attention immediately because
he said, \"I’m working on something to fortify
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.999
cereal crops in a way that could
save thousands of lives.\"
00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.999
Costly legal work now claims
a large and growing share
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.999
of CIMMYT’ falling budget. As a
lawyer working in private practice,
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.999
I repeated on behalf of
clients, the standard dogma
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.999
that patents are good, intellectual
property is good. But, I see now
00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.999
the other side of the coin. There are cases in
which patents on research tools for instance
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
can provide roadblocks
to much needed research.
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
One solution to the problem is
public-private partnerships
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.999
allowing hunger researchers special
access to patented genes or technologies.
00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.999
Companies uh… need to be creative and say, \"We’re ready
to share these technologies either at the subsidized cost
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.999
or royalty-free.\" The jury is still
out on bio technologies promise.
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.999
Very difficult safety questions
need to be resolved,
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.999
and even its champions no longer call
it a silver bullet for ending hunger.
00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:59.999
When we first came out with the messages on biotechnology, we
were a bit arrogant about how we communicated biotechnology.
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.999
We’re so excited about its potential that perhaps,
we umm… over claimed and overstated things.
00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
I think the truth is somewhere in between
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
those who say that it is the answer for feeding the
world and those who say that has no role to play.
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.999
If safety can be assured and patenting issues
successfully resolved, biotechnology may yet play
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.999
an important role in combating hunger.
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:29.999
There may be cheaper equally effective ways
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.999
to improve food production in the developing world. But, which
farm was this that the seed came from? At least that’s what
00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:39.999
Moses Onim thinks. He
owns a small seed company
00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.999
in the Kenyan city of Kisumu.
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:49.999
The farmers tell us that they’re poor. They are telling that
they cannot buy seed every season. So as a seed company,
00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:54.999
we know we like would love to make profit like any other company.
But, when you factor in all these are the social issues,
00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.999
then you start thinking differently.
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.999
Yeah, yeah just continue and one… one
not very many seeds are dropping then,
00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.999
you know, its done. Dr. Onim has been
asking poor farmers what they need
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.999
since his college days. When I
started doing my PhD research world,
00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.999
I was quickly moving away from the
academic pursuit into trying to address
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
the needs of the communities. Therefore my
breeding was not based on what I wanted to do,
00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.999
it was, what they wanted to do?
They wanted large grains.
00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:34.999
They wanted the variety
that would cook fast.
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
Farmers also complained that
hybrids didn’t perform well
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
in their poor soils. The toto named that about
1% of their own corn produced 2 years per plant
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.999
was also delicious and
quite resistant to pests.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.999
So Moses Onim had an idea. He sought out
these higher yielding double covers
00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.999
and began saving and
multiplying their seeds.
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.999
In time,
00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
Dr. Onim had supplies of seeds that
consistently produced 2 years per plant.
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.999
The seeds even out yield many hybrids,
and they retain their productive vigor
00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
in succeeding generations. So farmers don’t
need to come back and buy more seed every year.
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.999
There is a lot of knowledge out there
in the villages if… if only people
00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.999
can care to be humble enough and
listen and work with the villagers,
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.999
the communities as partners in research.
00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.999
In a Kenyan cassava field, Dr. Hans Herren
looks for a tiny insect called a Mealy bug.
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.999
He finds one, but there are
not many here, not anymore.
00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.999
Born in Switzerland, Herren
came to Africa 25 years ago
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
from the University of California. At
the time the cassava, a key staple crop
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
in Africa was being
decimated by this tiny bug.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
Native to South America, the Mealy bug
had been recently introduced to Africa
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.999
where it had no natural enemies. Herren
believes in using biological controls
00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.999
instead of chemicals to fight pests.
He led a desperate research
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.999
effort which succeeded in finding
a natural enemy of the Mealy bug,
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.999
a parasitic wasp from Paraguay. It was
released on African cassava fields.
00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.999
Within about 12 years, $20 million,
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.999
we solved that problem with the Mealy
bug permanently from that car – maputo.
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.999
And I think, uh… along the way
it saves about 20 million lives
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:44.999
which turns out to be what $1 per life saved, it’s
not… not bad for an output for such a program.
00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:49.999
Herren now directs the International
Center of Insect Physiology
00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:54.999
and Ecology or ICIPE. At ICIPE’s
Lake Victoria Research Station
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.999
innovative, inexpensive and
environmentally friendly solutions
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.999
were a host of African
problems re emerging.
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:09.999
We’re looking at umm… what kind of solutions can we find which
the farmers could apply without spending a lot of money.
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.999
Most promising is the system called,
\"push-pull\" used to control
00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
stem bores and other pests.
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
These are the feeding marks of this tempura. And you can
see even a stimbler here, it has damaged the maize,
00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
and the plant gets weaker and weaker. Dr.
Zia Khan, the researcher at ICIPE,
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
has found that a plant called
Desmodium repelled stem bores,
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.999
that’s the push. This Napier grass
attracts them. That’s the pull.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
When Desmodium is grown with maize and
Napier grass is planted around it,
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
stem bores end up in the
grass instead of the corn.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
Desmodium offers other benefits.
It’s a legume and provides nitrogen
00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
and organic material for poor soil,
commonplace throughout Africa.
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
It also protects the soil from erosion and retains
moisture, a key factor in times of drought.
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:09.999
But, Desmodium
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:14.999
provided another unexpected surprise.
00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:19.999
We discovered by chance that Desmodium suppress Strega
which is the witchweed, the tremendous problem in maize
00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.999
and sorghum growing in all of Africa. Now
which purple blossoms look appealing,
00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:29.999
Strega is a deadly parasite.
It attaches itself
00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.999
to maize roots and releases a toxin
that kills the maize. In many cases,
00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:39.999
maize crops are completely wiped out.
ICIPE provides Desmodium seed
00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:44.999
and helpful advice to small
farmers most of whom are women.
00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:49.999
In fields where farmers have planted
Desmodium and Napier grass,
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.999
their yields have improved dramatically
providing extra food and new income
00:30:55.000 --> 00:31:03.000
and helping break the cycle of poverty.
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
Desmodium
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.999
and Napier grass not only helped
Deborah Odhiambo fertilize her soil,
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.999
they also provide food for her cattle.
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
[sil.]
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:29.999
The cattle in turn provide milk for
her children and for the market.
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:35.000
With her increased income,
she will buy more cows.
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:45.000
Yeah. So more push-pull, uh…
your life more cows, right?
00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:59.999
So far there is not enough money
to produce Desmodium seeds
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.999
for all the farmers who need them. I
think, this is a program which will pay
00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:09.999
uh… for itself. We still are
struggling to… to get the funding
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:14.999
to bring it to the, to the next step.
Herren is angry
00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:19.999
that rich countries spend as much in half a day
on farm subsidies that they spend in a year
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.999
for research to help the hungry. Now
all of sudden, things become clear.
00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
We are expected here with
this, with these few crumbs
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
to develop in agriculture which
is efficient, which is matching
00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:39.999
basically western agriculture
and even compete with it,
00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
it’s not possible. This is a drop on a
hot stone. So when I find some plants…
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.999
You… you can approve it. Yes, I approve it.
You approved it because if you leave it…
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.999
Much more support is needed for research, distribution
of better seeds, training of African scientists
00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.999
and outreach to small farmers.
But Hans Herren,
00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:04.999
Jani Ninda and Moses Onim
believe Africa can feed itself.
00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.999
They have seen many positive changes
in the lives of the hungry people
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.999
with whom they work,
people like Teresa Ronnie,
00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:19.999
not long ago Teresa was struggling, her primary
crop coffee no longer brought to decent price.
00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.999
She feared she might lose her tiny farm
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
and end up as one more destitute
refugee in the slums of Nairobi.
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
Farm extension workers trained in a
special program at Cornell University
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
showed her how to diversify
her farm and to prosper.
00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:48.000
Stories like Teresa Ronnie’s
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.999
make it clear that ending
hunger is not a hopeless cause,
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:14.999
but producing more food is not all that’s
needed. Their issues of distribution
00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:19.999
and infrastructure, corruption
access to loans, land reform, trade,
00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.999
subsidies, and tariffs. Right
now in the United States,
00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:29.999
Japan, and the European Union, we
maintain very high import tariffs.
00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:34.999
We also export
00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:39.999
what we have too much of
at subsidized prices.
00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.999
So not only are we keeping developing
country farmers out of our own markets,
00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.999
but we are also ruining their
markets in their countries.
00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.999
You cannot be vaccinated against hunger.
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
It is… it is part of a much bigger
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
complex set of issues. And these
issues can only be resolved
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.999
if governments decide that it
is important enough to do so.
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.999
[music]
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.999
So what might a comprehensive anti-hunger program
look like? One possible answer is emerging
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.999
in South America.
00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:33.000
[music]
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
In Ouro Preto, Brazil, courtship still
comes with a song and a guitar.
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
And the church’s squares
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
and cobblestone streets still look like
they did in 1750. And half the world’s gold
00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
came from this mountainous Tanith.
Armies of slaves
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
built stunning palaces and cathedrals.
In 18th century, Brazil extreme wealth
00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
than poverty dwelt
side-by-side, they still do.
00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
The gap between Brazil’s rich and poor
is among the widest in the world.
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
And hunger is no stranger
to millions of its people.
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
The richest 10% of the population controls
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
50% of the wealth we produce.
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.999
In Brazil, two babies die from
starvation every three minutes.
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.999
61% of infant mortality is the result of
malnutrition whether the babies die of pneumonia,
00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.999
diarrhea, or other illnesses.
00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:49.999
Everybody has a right to eat
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:55.000
But in 2003, Brazil launched the world’s most
ambitious and comprehensive anti-hunger campaign.
00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
Fome Zero, in Portuguese
it means no hunger.
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:20.000
In Brazil, nearly everyone
is talking about Fome Zero.
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
So how does Fome Zero work?
The answer lies here
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
in the city of Belo Horizonte, a
free nutritious school lunches
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
are just one of many tools used
to fight hunger. Belo Horizonte
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
is Brazil’s third largest city
with nearly 3 million inhabitants.
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
It was here that the model for
Fome Zero, first took shape.
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
At first plants, Belo appears prosperous,
but among its modern skyscrapers
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
and grand homes lie the Favelas, the slums,
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.999
shanty towns filled with poor people.
It even here, there are signs of hope.
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
In 1993, Patrus Ananias,
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:14.999
a Catholic University professor
was elected mayor for Belo,
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.999
alarmed that a quarter of the city’s population
was malnourished. He vowed to end hunger.
00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.999
They asked Adriana Aranha, a former
student of his to supervise the effort.
00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
The poverty in Brazil always bothered
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
me ever since I was a little girl. Well, I would sleep
warmly under my covers with rain falling on the roof.
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
There would be others outside without
these basics, hungry, and cold.
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
When I started acquiring
a political conscience,
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:49.999
I realized this was not the way it was
supposed to be. This was not what God wanted.
00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:54.999
We had to do something
to change the situation.
00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.999
But it was hard to know what to do in Brazil
at least there were no models to learn from.
00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.999
From what I could see the
distribution of food
00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.999
was an area that was ignored, abandoned.
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.999
I was indignant, why? Because food is not a
material luxury, it’s more like the air we breathe.
00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.999
If people don’t eat, they don’t live.
It’s different than owning a car
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.999
or a TV.
00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:33.000
[music]
00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
As a visit to Belo giant wholesale market
quickly reveals, there is no shortage of food
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
in this city. Blessed with
rich agricultural land,
00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
Brazilians produce more than 3,000
daily calories of food per capita.
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
If you consider that the United Nations
recommends 2,200 calories per day per capita,
00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:59.999
you see there is sufficient production
in Brazil to end the hunger.
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.999
I realized the problem surrounding the access
to food were not caused by lack of food,
00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:09.999
they were caused by market forces
impeding people’s access to food.
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:14.999
Any of the city’s poorest people
simply didn’t earn enough money
00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:19.999
to afford an adequate diet. The
challenge facing Adriana Aranha
00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:24.999
and her colleagues was how to get food
to the people who needed it most.
00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:29.999
We asked ourselves, what
parts of the community
00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:34.999
are most vulnerable to hunger?
00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:43.000
[sil.]
00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
What they found was that most of
Belo’s hungry residents were children.
00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
In response, they began offering free
meals in schools and childcare centers
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.999
like this one. Extra supplements have been rich
flour were provided for malnourished children.
00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
Meals are now offered to all
children in the Favelas,
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.999
even those who aren’t regularly
enrolled in daycare centers or schools.
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:19.999
And the city pays the cost with a little
help from Brazil’s federal government.
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.999
In the community, there’s a
high level of unemployment.
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:29.999
Since their parents are out of
work, most kids come here to eat
00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:34.999
and end up spending the day. This is because
they don’t have enough food at home.
00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:39.999
They have all their meals here from breakfast
to dinner. When children first get here,
00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.999
we can see signs of malnutrition. But as soon as they get
into the program and start eating, they start improving.
00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:49.999
In a Favela clinic, children are
tested for signs of malnutrition.
00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:54.999
[non-English narration] All children
who arrive at the health center
00:41:55.000 --> 00:41:59.999
who are underweight are considered
victims of malnutrition.
00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.999
Within six months, most malnourished children
who receive school meals are able to maintain
00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:09.999
a healthy weight. And of the children
with the most serious malnutrition,
00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:14.999
91% recuperate. In other words,
00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:19.999
from the jaws of death, they fatten up.
But, the city’s programs
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
aren’t confined to children.
This is one of Belo’s
00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:29.999
three popular restaurants
and popular it is.
00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:38.000
[music]
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
Each day these cook prepare enough food to
provide lunches for about 6,000 people.
00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
At lunch time, the line here
stretches all around the block.
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
The city subsidizes 2/3 of
the cost of the lunches
00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
for which diners pay only one Brazilian
real, about 30 cents in US currency.
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
For many of Belo’s residents,
a daily meal here means
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:09.999
the difference between hunger
and adequate nutrition.
00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:14.999
This anti-hunger program
brings me much satisfaction.
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
I feel compensated for the work
involved in governing a big city
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
when I see the needy people that
are helped by these programs.
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
But, many hungry people cannot
get to the popular restaurants.
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:34.999
So the city brings food to them.
Belo’s Favelas
00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:39.999
residents line up each week to see what
the popular basket box has to offer.
00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:44.999
On the bus they purchase subsidized staples
00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:49.999
price to 2/3 of their
cost in private stores.
00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:54.999
But, simply providing food is not enough.
00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:59.999
The community also has to be aware
of what is right to eat and healthy.
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:04.999
So the city sponsors
nutrition education courses
00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:09.999
like this one. One big problem
00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:14.999
for us these days is that we have people who
are very malnourished and yet very obese.
00:44:15.000 --> 00:44:19.999
So why this obesity? Because
people are not eating foods
00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:24.999
rich in fiber and vitamins.
00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:29.999
Those who come to the classes
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:34.999
are shown how to prepare more nutritious meals
and what foods are best for their health.
00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:39.999
We encourage people to eat
00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:44.999
more fruits and vegetables to eat fewer products that
contain chemicals and to avoid waste in preparing them.
00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:49.999
At a downtown market, shoppers
also find excellent produce
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:54.999
at prices lower than
those in private stores.
00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:59.999
The city provides the space to local
farmers. In return for the free space,
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:04.999
the farmers must agree to pest
controls on their produce.
00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:09.999
What city government is doing now is ending the
middleman by having produce or sell directly
00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:14.999
and inexpensively to the consumers.
The consumer pays less
00:45:15.000 --> 00:45:19.999
and the producer earns more.
00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:24.999
Not far from Belo Horizonte
chief, farmers prepare
00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:29.999
a field for planting. Many of
them are earning more now.
00:45:30.000 --> 00:45:34.999
Small farms that were once being
abandoned are now beginning to prosper.
00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:44.999
Adriana frequently leaves the city to
meet with farmers, trying to convince
00:45:45.000 --> 00:45:49.999
more of them to become active in the anti hunger campaign.
She also encourages them to produce food organically.
00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:54.999
In one section
00:45:55.000 --> 00:45:59.999
of Belo Horizonte, the city has
created an organic market.
00:46:00.000 --> 00:46:04.999
Right now, organic produce is still
expensive. But, Adriana hopes other farmers
00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:09.999
will begin to cultivate without chemicals
increasing the supply of organic food
00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:14.999
and bringing prices down.
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:19.999
Healthy food has to be nutritious, uncontaminated,
and has to be produced in a sustainable manner.
00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:24.999
We can’t be polluting the environment
and compromising future generations.
00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:29.999
It’s obvious that Belo Horizonte’s
anti-hunger campaign is a comprehensive way.
00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:34.999
Free meals in schools,
subsidized restaurants,
00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:39.999
food delivery to poor
Favelas, nutrition education,
00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:44.999
direct farm to citizen
marketing with price controls,
00:46:45.000 --> 00:46:49.999
promotion of organic and sustainable
agriculture, and yet the campaign costs
00:46:50.000 --> 00:46:54.999
only a fraction of the
city’s annual budget.
00:46:55.000 --> 00:46:59.999
We don’t get a single complaint about
this program. Deep down people are united
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:04.999
with us on this.
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:09.999
Adriana Aranha has also begun to
widen her efforts to end hunger.
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.999
Not far from the city, she meets
with leaders of a squatter’s camp
00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.999
organized by Brazil’s landless peasants’
movement to buy produce from the camp.
00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:24.999
For the past two decades,
00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:29.999
the peasant movement known by its initials MST
has been taking over unused agricultural lands
00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:34.999
in Brazil so that poor
people may farm them.
00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:39.999
Most poor world Brazilians
have no land of their own.
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:44.999
Vast amounts of land are in the
hands of a few that don’t produce,
00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:49.999
and lots of people are expelled from
the fields and come into the cities.
00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:54.999
Coming to the large cities,
00:47:55.000 --> 00:47:59.999
they saw that they would be reduced
to living in the Favelas, the slums.
00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.999
The MST in Brazil was
born out of necessity.
00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:09.999
Wagner Martins used to be a
street vendor in Belo Horizonte.
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.999
Desperate for a better life, he joined the MST and
helped take over this land from a large landowner
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.999
who wasn’t using it to produce anything.
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.999
Today several families live in the
home the landowner abandoned long ago.
00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
Throughout the camp, people have been
building makeshift shelters, planting,
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.999
and harvesting crops, running their
own schools, and making a new life.
00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:43.000
[music]
00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:09.999
The camp is bordered by a river
00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:14.999
and there are fish to catch. While
these children have few possessions,
00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:19.999
they live in safe surroundings
free from the violence
00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:24.999
of urban slums.
00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:29.999
A camp like this one poor as it is brings a
better quality of life. So we have families
00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:34.999
coming to this camp desperately
escaping the situation in the Favelas.
00:49:35.000 --> 00:49:39.999
We all wanna see our children raised
00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:44.999
in the best way possible. I wanna see
my son wandering freely in nature
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:49.999
alongside the animals having greater
contact with nature. I believe my son
00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.999
will have a better life
than many, many Brazilians.
00:49:55.000 --> 00:49:59.999
Bazillion law states that
land that is uncultivated
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:04.999
for a long period of time may be
claimed by the landless. But in fact,
00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:09.999
the future here is still uncertain,
the owner of this land has challenged
00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:14.999
the MST takeover in court.
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:19.999
The judicial system is very slow. We
don’t know when they’ll make a decision.
00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:24.999
But despite this, we continue planting
here, constructing, living our lives.
00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:29.999
Even if they’re allowed to keep the land,
00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:34.999
it won’t be easy to produce food efficiently
enough to compete in the market.
00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:39.999
In Brazil, family farms
produce most products
00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:44.999
consumed yet the small producer lacks access to
stimulus such as financial credit from banks.
00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:49.999
The interest rates are high.
Only the large producers
00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:54.999
are able to get decent financing.
00:50:55.000 --> 00:50:59.999
If there are no resources to
invest in the little things,
00:51:00.000 --> 00:51:04.999
tractors, and agricultural
outreach for the small producers,
00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:09.999
we won’t be able to stay on the land.
00:51:10.000 --> 00:51:14.999
Yet today, the farmers
and all of Brazil’s poor
00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:19.999
have a friend in a powerful position
who wants to change these things.
00:51:20.000 --> 00:51:24.999
In 2002, Luiz Inâcio Lula da Silva,
the candidate of the Workers Party
00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:29.999
was elected president of
Brazil by a wide margin.
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:34.999
[non-English narration]
00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:39.999
Right away, Lula as the Brazilians call
him, announced that his top priority
00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:44.999
would be to end hunger in Brazil. He asked that
his administration be judged by his success
00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:49.999
in accomplishing that.
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:54.999
For me, Lula’s victory was
a big wish come true.
00:51:55.000 --> 00:51:59.999
I started to cry when I heard the
President’s speech because I saw that
00:52:00.000 --> 00:52:04.999
we had a leader that made this his mandate.
And here’s a special fact,
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:09.999
Lula himself came from a poor family and
he knows what it’s like to go hungry.
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:14.999
Lula often visits Belo Horizonte,
seeking ideas and inspiration
00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:19.999
for Fome Zero, his anti-hunger campaign.
Many of the programs
00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:24.999
that were adopted first in Belo are now
being implemented elsewhere in Brazil.
00:52:25.000 --> 00:52:29.999
Adriana Aranha is actively
involved in the campaign.
00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:34.999
We are not totally finished, many are
still hungry. Because ending hunger
00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:39.999
doesn’t depend just on this city,
it depends on the whole country
00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:44.999
on the entire world. So
president Lula is asking other
00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:49.999
world leaders to help. One idea he promotes
is an international zero hunger campaign
00:52:50.000 --> 00:52:54.999
funded by attacks on global trade.
00:52:55.000 --> 00:52:59.999
Of course, the money would not be
spent the same way everywhere.
00:53:00.000 --> 00:53:04.999
In Brazil, there is enough food. The issue is
getting it to the people who need it most.
00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:09.999
But in Africa, producing more food is
still a priority. Better crop varieties
00:53:10.000 --> 00:53:14.999
and new methods of farming are needed. Training
local scientists and extension agents is vital.
00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:19.999
Infrastructure, roads, and markets all
00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:24.999
must be improved. It all sounds
daunting, but consider the alternative.
00:53:25.000 --> 00:53:29.999
A hungry world full of desperate
people is not a secure world,
00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:34.999
not for the poor, nor for the rich, nor for
the environment on which we all depend.
00:53:35.000 --> 00:53:39.999
You cannot be thinking about, well,
you know, if… if I cut these trees
00:53:40.000 --> 00:53:44.999
and if I open this area, you know, I might
lose all the soil in… in 20 years because,
00:53:45.000 --> 00:53:49.999
you know, if you don’t produce here now,
00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:54.999
your children might die, therefore, the hungrier
and the less opportunity that people have,
00:53:55.000 --> 00:53:59.999
the less care, they are gonna take of
their environment simply because I mean,
00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:04.999
that’s human, you, you know,
your priorities to survive.
00:54:05.000 --> 00:54:09.999
The progress that we can make against
hunger is irreversible progress.
00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:14.999
We’re not in the process of setting up a, an
eternal welfare system. What we’re trying to do
00:54:15.000 --> 00:54:19.999
is to open opportunities for
people who are now hungry
00:54:20.000 --> 00:54:24.999
to earn enough money so they can take care of themselves. And
once you get to that threshold, there won’t be any going back.
00:54:25.000 --> 00:54:29.999
So they will escape poverty,
00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:34.999
and we will be able to have more employment
and more income from exporting to them.
00:54:35.000 --> 00:54:39.999
So it is a win-win proposition. It’s an
investment in our common future both economically
00:54:40.000 --> 00:54:44.999
and in terms of international stability.
00:54:45.000 --> 00:54:49.999
The US could do its part to cut
world hunger in half by 2015,
00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:54.999
at a cost of about one and a
half billion dollars a year.
00:54:55.000 --> 00:54:59.999
You know, one and a half billion dollars
is a lot of money, but it amounts to
00:55:00.000 --> 00:55:04.999
less than two cents per American per day.
00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:09.999
For now, the silent killer continues
to kill. The little grave stand
00:55:10.000 --> 00:55:14.999
as mute testimony to its power.
And to our failure
00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:19.999
to do what John F. Kennedy said
we should do 40 years ago,
00:55:20.000 --> 00:55:24.999
will we do it now? I would like to think
00:55:25.000 --> 00:55:29.999
that when I’m an old man, when I’m sitting with
my child, umm… and I’m talking with my grandchild
00:55:30.000 --> 00:55:34.999
and talking to him and telling them that once
upon a time in Africa that people were hungry
00:55:35.000 --> 00:55:40.000
and dying of hunger, he
wouldn’t believe it.
00:56:30.000 --> 00:56:34.999
Funding for this program
00:56:35.000 --> 00:56:39.999
was provided by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Fostering innovation for the well-being of people
00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:45.000
throughout the world.
